Descent
by oddelaide
Summary: I came to the end of the show and needed to see more of these two. Will be multi-chapter. Will be TonyxClay. Set after the climbing scene and based around Clay coming to grips with Tonys revelation and how that might change things for the both of them.
1. Chapter 1

Hours after their misguided climbing trip. Clay finds himself outside the Padilla house.

The sun had gone down as Tony drove him home. They shared distracted goodbyes when Clay hopped out. He had watched until the Mustang was out of sight, then he had quietly walked into the garage, jumped on his bike and pedaled all the way back to the older man's house.

Tony's light was still on and Clay knew the root he liked to take to sneak out at night. It had been years since he had seen the brunette use it, but he was sure that the tree would still be there.

It was an easy thing, to climb up the tree and onto the porch roof, after the events of the day. It was less easy to be quiet about it. By the time Clay reaches Tony's window the man has heard him. He'd have to be deaf not to.

The green eyed man is lying on his bed, reading a magazine, head and perfect hair tilted in his direction. A seconds inspections reveals it to be a car magazine - big surprise there.

He moves to sit up when Clay slides the window open but he motions the older man to lie back down. With a whispered "stay".

The Latino gives him one of those unreadable looks that Clay finds difficult to hold but stays exactly where he is. He's curious - confused even, but he trusts him. Which is truly unbelievable at this point, in the world of high school, no-one trusts no-one.

Clay steals himself, moving towards the bed before he can change his mind. "Is this okay?" He asks hesitantly sliding a knee onto the bed next to Tony's hip. Close enough to feel the man's body heat radiating.

The Brunettes eyes bore into Clays as he slowly – so slowly that it feels like he is barely moving- puts his hand on Tony's chest and waits to be thrown out on his ass. But instead he watches as the man dips his head in a solemn nod, never taking his green eyes away from Clays baby blue.

The taller man spreads his fingers across Tony's top, just to feel it. Looks down and follows the moment of his fingers over muscles he's never let himself notice.

"What are you doing Clay?" Tony's deep voice rumbles. Not angry or displeased like he expects just confused, unsure.

Clay looks up enough to catch the man's gaze for a moment, only to flicker back to the movement of his hand.

"I just need to know" he says with as much feeling as he can bear.

Tony blinks once, real slow and relaxes, leaning back on his elbows. He looks so cool; all smooth lean muscle and caramel skin. He always hated how cool Tony looked, it was unfair. Now all he could think about was having those thick arms around him and what that might feel like.

Even as he is doing it, Clay can't believe this is his own body and his own actions. It feels almost autonomous, a force of nature, pulling him in.

"Stay stop and I will" He says with a shaking voice.

When Tony doesn't so much as move a muscle Clay leans closer, looking straight into Tony's beautiful sea foam eyes until the last second, when he closes his eyes and ducks his lips to his friends in the briefest of kisses.

It's just a brush of skin on skin. Even so, Clay feels the tingle of static at every point they were connected. He hears someone gasp and realizes its him. The hand on Tony's chest is shaking as he leans back and Tony is searching his face for something.

Clay pushes himself off the older mans bed and out the window. Ignoring the calls of his name from behind and the furious thumping of his heart in his ears. He descends the tree in record time and forces himself not to look back at Tony's window. He doesn't want to see the expression of hurt on his friends face.

It's pitch black as he rides home. He thinks about Tony's lips the whole way.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony finds Clay at school the next day, while he is staring into his locker. The door is open, shielding him from prying eyes. He is attempting to sleep standing up.

The blue eyed man had been awake the whole night overthinking and it felt like there was an anvil sitting on his head, weighing him down, pressing on his skull. He was freezing and he could feel his veins pulse in his temple. All in all it was set to be a really crappy day.

"I think we need to talk buddy" Tony says, coming up behind him. He pats his shoulder good naturedly.

"ugh " Clay's throat feels like sandpaper as he swallows. " can we not do this right now?"

Tony's open and charming expression shuts down at that. "What the hell Clay, we need to talk" he leans closer, an attempt at keeping this conversation private, even in this setting. Which is so endearing, Clay feels almost sick with guilt. "What was that last night, man?" the darker hair man slams a hand against the lockers to Clay's left just to drive the point home. The hand stays on the locker and Tony uses it to lean forward into the anxious man's space and he's speechless because Clay honestly doesn't know what he had been thinking that night. Only that he hadn't been able to get the thought of kissing Tony out of his head since the man had revealed Brad was more than just a friend. I mean Clay was straight right?

The silence only stands to make Tony madder, brows screwed together lips turned down.

" You sneak into my house. Climb into my bed and then run away- without so much as an explanation-" His deep voice rises.

"I know-" Clay cuts him off before he can get any louder. "I know, I'm sorry okay?" He forces himself to catch Tony's gaze and hold it. Tries to show him how much he means it. How confused he feels.

The older man heaves a sigh, It moves his whole body like a wave, and looks away. " I don't want sorrys Clay. I want to talk this out." He really looks at his friend then, sees the purple splotches under his eyes, Tony looks tired, just dog tired. Looks the way Clay feels.

It's Tony's sad puppy dog eyes that do it, he thinks. That and the fact that it feels like his brain is boiling and about to ooze out of his nose, even though the rest of his body like ice.

Even so he can't quite explain why he does what he does. His head falls to the top of Tony's hand, it's scorching hot on his freezing skin. The stabbing pain in his skull dulls under the warmth and Clay can't stop himself from nuzzling into the source of that heat.

Someone makes a choked noise, Clay thinks its him at first but he's way too sick to care. The noise comes again only he's sure it's coming from Tony this time. He turns his head, just enough to catch a glimpse of the dark man out of the corner of his eye, not enough to move off of the warm appendage.

His dark brows are furrowed, lips twisted down.

Clay is about to say something, pull away and lighten the mood with a joke – when Tony turns his hand palm up to cup Clay's jaw. It's a feather light touch.

Unlike Clay's own hands – slender, pale and for most part, soft. Tony's hands have calluses from working in the body shop. It surprises Clay how much he likes it, how right that big strong hand feels on his skin.

He thinks he should feel embarrassed – knows he should pull away. But it's so comforting to have his friend so close. Like coming home after a long day- that he doesn't care.

He closes his eyes for a beat and opens them again to look at Tony – he looks like he's in pain. Those heavy browns pulled low over dark eyes and darker lashes. He's not looking at Clay's face properly. He's focused on where hand meets neck. Where he's gently stroking a thumb across Clay's cheek.

Even though Clay knows he is hurting him, keeps hurting him. Tony never stops trying to help him. Comfort him, protect him.

But at the same time Clay has never been touched like this by anyone. Certainly not by Tony. In all the years they've known each other he can't remember more than a handful of hugs. A few high fives, fist bumps and nuggies. They wrestled once or twice when they were very small- over toys mostly.

But none of that compared to this. How could he pull away from a touch like this? He had to though, he was hurting his best friend and taking advantage of his sweet and giving nature. So he pulled away and ran. Again.


End file.
